A Texas jury found 19-year-old Karmelo Anthony guilty of murder on Tuesday, June 4, 2026, for the stabbing death of a teenager [1].

The conviction marks the conclusion of a trial centered on a violent encounter at a youth sporting event, raising concerns about safety at school-sanctioned activities.

Anthony was convicted of murdering 17-year-old Austin Metcalf [2]. The fatal stabbing occurred during a high school track meet in an affluent Dallas suburb [3]. The incident took place in 2025 [4].

Prosecutors said during the trial that the attack was a premeditated, surprise assault [5]. The state said the act was not a matter of self-defense, which qualified the killing as murder under Texas law [5].

The jury returned the guilty verdict after approximately three hours of deliberation [6]. This decision follows a legal process that scrutinized the events leading up to the 2025 encounter.

Anthony now faces a potential sentence of life imprisonment [7]. The court will determine the final sentencing in a subsequent proceeding.

“A Texas jury found 19-year-old Karmelo Anthony guilty of murder”

The conviction of Karmelo Anthony underscores the legal distinction between self-defense and premeditated violence in Texas homicide cases. By rejecting the self-defense argument, the jury affirmed the prosecution's timeline of a surprise attack, which elevates the crime to murder and opens the door for a life sentence.